Memoirs of a Hero
by muviri
Summary: When a psychotic other dimensional sorceress brings her hunt to Jump, things swirl steadily out of control. With mysterious super powered female enigma, Slade, strange powers and a seemingly average teenage girl with a lot of baggage, have the Titans finally met their match?
1. Trigger

**This story is infamous in my house. I've been having so many scenes pop in my head that if I don't actually sit down and type will end up exploding from my head in a horrible disgusting mess,_ so yeah_….**

**Fandom: Teen Titians**

**Ship: Slight robrae/speedyrae, actually speedyeveryone (but not enough to effect the story)**

**Genre: Adventure**

**Rating: T (for swearing and situations)**

**Summary: When a psychotic other dimensional sorceress brings her hunt to Jump, things swirl steadily out of control. With mysterious super powered female enigma, Slade, strange powers and a seemingly average teenage girl with a lot of baggage, have the Titans finally met their match? **

**Not beta'd**

**Disclaimer: "Do I look rich?" She says while eating cornflakes from a chipped bowl.**

* * *

_Memoirs of a Hero_  
_Prologue: Trigger_  
_by Muviri_

* * *

"Next in importance to having a good aim is to recognize when to pull the trigger."

- Unknown

* * *

_Jump City, San Francisco_  
_America_

When Cyborg gave Robin the coordinates to the Earl Francis' (a small-time technology thief) whereabouts, he'd been shocked to say the least.

The Bouchard was picturesque restaurant situated near the harbour and even out looked the gondolas on the bay. The _j'ai ne sais quoi_ it had was not usually associated with criminals.

"Okay, Cy, I'm nearing the restaurant."

The restaurant was owned by the Caffarelli's, a married couple of clean-cut chefs, and the restaurant itself was only well-known amongst the more affluent citizens of Jump City.

Reservations were usually placed months in advance and getting one at short notice was highly unlikely. Luckily for the son of Bruce Wayne, entrepreneurs like these often owned his guardian a favour or two.

But, as he pulled up to the entrance of the restaurant that evening, one thing was bothering him, "Why would a wanted felon choose to come _here_ after hitting his target?"

"Maybe he has some unfinished business in Jump?" Cyborg suggested through Robin's helmet. Swinging a leg over the seat of his motorcycle Robin took off his helmet, switching Cy to the communicator built-in to his watch, and switched on stealth mode."The Bouchards a _fancy_ place, maybe he brought his partner?"

Robin attached his helmet to the now chrome black motorcycle and considered it, but shook his head upon further thought, "The Bouchard isn't the kind of restaurant criminals would come to to count their loot." Straightening his suit and readjusting his hair, Robin made his way towards the restaurant, "Maybe this isn't a one-way deal. He stole some computer chips, right? So maybe he's selling them on? Did you check for any likely buyers?"

"I ran a police check on the guy...and other than a couple of small stints in Gotham, this is his first big job. " Cyborg displayed the police records, and admittedly other than some recent accounts of petty thief, Francis was pretty much clean. Knowing the kind of criminals in Jump this guy wouldn't cut it with _anyone_," He wasn't even very good, he left fingerprints."

"Amateur. But he stll got past us, Cy." Robin concluded, but he was still wary. Any new villain could spell trouble for Jump and with Slade still lurking underground, even the most negligible of villain's could not be underestimated, "Just keep an eye on the city tonight and I'll be back after I've made sure everything checks out here."

Robin entered the revolving doors and was greeted with a room filled with tasteful art and some of Jump City's self-proclaimed finest. Everyone from diligent to politicians to businessmen accompanied by everyone from models to royalty to pedigree pets. The entire room was filled with the omnipotent stench of self-importance and vanity which only proved to remind Richard why he never agreed to accompany Bruce to any more parties than was absolutely _necessary_.

Luckily, Robin wasn't obliged to mingle tonight.

"_Richard_."

Cyborg's voice shocked him slightly, before quickly being replaced by confusion."Cy," he slipped, unnoticed, into a dark corner, "I can't talk I'm inside."

"I'm getting bad vibes about this case, man." Cyborg's concern softened Richard's features slightly. He gave the metal man a small smile, hoping to reassure him that he would be fine.

Before Robin could speak Cyborg interupted,"I know you can handle whatever this guy throws at you, but I'm starting to think this is much bigger than just a sales pitch."

Robin sighed, he'd been thinking the same thing since the break in but placing faith in a hunch, even a really strong one, was not something he was known for. Cyborg on the other hand relied very much on his gut reaction, something Robin had never quite mastered. Besides, he had no reason to worry his friends over some simple _feeling_.

He put his faith in facts and evidence, two things that had yet to let him down.

Robin scratched the back of his head."I've been thinking the same thing."

"So you can't tell me you don't think what he stole was a bit odd?"The screen changed displaying images of three computer chips. The screen zoomed in on a small red chip, "This chip contains a virus strong enough to infect all the computers within a thirty-seven mile radius," a blue chip became centre-stage," this one can be integrated into any simple sonic cannon to create a device that can send out an impenetrable shield," then a yellow one," and this one can be hooked up to a average computer to turn it into a bomb with almost the same power as anything the military has."

Robin straightened up at the sound of an approaching giggle, and flashed the women a well-practiced smile that received a light blush, and then resumed his position once she was out of sight, "It all seems fairly average villain supplies to me."

"It would be, wouldn't it?"

Cyborg's entire body seemed to be vibrating with what Robin could only identify as nervous energy, "To be perfectly honest, I have no idea where you're going with this Cy."

"He managed to sneak into Delta without us getting wind of it till he was long gone, but on his way out he left _fingerprints_? C'mon man you _know_ there's something that's not adding up here."

The direct address at the Titians' failure caused Robin's shoulders to stiffen, and the all-too-familiar emotion of frustration took precedence over his features. To think that some amateur could just waltz up and steal some of the cities most powerful computer chips made Robin feel sick, but Cyborg was right. Something about this guy wasn't adding up. It would take a highly talented theif to break into Delta without them knowing, but to leave fingerprints? That was a purely amateur move. But exactly what was this guy? A talented thief who made a mistake or a amateur with a bit of beginners luck?

"Your right Cy. There's too many inconsistencies here, something's off."

"And the report we got back from Delta arrived. All that was missing was some fancy motherboards."

"Then that means..."

Cyborg excited to see the Boy Wonder finally catching on interrupted, "He didn't take the three chips that would have had the entire city eating out of his hands."

Robin failed to hide his initial shock, he'd realized that the perpetrator had taken a few chips but he hadn't realized the _options_ that had been available to him, and the fact that he chose not to take the most powerful chips in the city raised plenty of questions. Questions Robin didn't even know how to _begin_ to answer.

He ran a hand over his face. This case seemed to getting thicker by the minute but the only way for him to get answers would be to track Fransis down. Fast.

" Is there anything else I should know, Cy?"

"One last thing."

Robin's screen changed again, this time displaying a photo of the crime scene. Everything looked mostly back to normal, all shattered glass had been cleaned up and a broken wall filled in, apart from three empty cases. The screen paned to the right and zoomed in on the side of the one his eyes, Robin could see the faintest outline of an shape.

"What is _that_?"

"Take a closer look," the already magnified picture, became clearer and the muddled shape sharpened into a heart, with the words'_cordis veritatem revelare_' along the outside," what do you see?"

"It's a heart," a jumble of different possible connotations came into Robin head, "with something written around it...". He squinted. The words definitely looked foreign," What language is that?"

"Apparently its some ancient form of Latin, which unfortunately none of us speak. So I've got the computer working on a accurate translation now, but it'll take a few hours."

The whole idea that a small-time criminal like this would have a signature baffled Robin.

Sure, he'd seen dozens of villains use the exact same method hundreds of time. But those times it had all been mind game, really. Used to attach the fear people held to something as insignificant as cats, coins..._clowns_. But usually the message was simple and clear, something everyone could relate to, not as precise as this. This meant absolutely nothing to him,_ unless_..."He wanted us to find this, it must be a message of some sort...but who would a burglar be leaving a message for?"

"Unless", Cyborg swallowed thickly, the panic clear on his face," our little burglar isn't a burglar at all. He didn't care about what he stole because he wasn't really interested in stealing and he left a fingerprint for a reason. He was trying to get our attention."

Robin brought a hand up to cover his face, mumbling a curse under his breath. What had they gotten themselves into?

* * *

If Cyborg was right, and the criminal wanted to be found, he sure as hell wasn't making it easy.

The Bouchard looked like an average restaurant from the outside, but upon being led to his table he realized finding Francis would be a lot harder than he'd thought. The entire restaurant had three floors, one above the lobby and one below, and each dinning areas sat around sixty customers. The main dining room, which Alfred had booked for Richard, was on the third floor and by the looks of it the entire restaurant was packed.

He was seated in the middle of the restaurant which would have been a perfect vantage point for observing his floor had the lighting not been so dim. A low buzz of conversation filled the room, punctuated by occasional sounds of laughter, a toast here and there, and the footsteps of waitresses, waiters, and busboys walking across the room. Over the hum of conversation was the velvet-smoke voice of a singer as she crooned some lovingly soft song into the microphone, to the accompaniment of a grand piano.

Robin had to admit, Francis had chosen the perfect location to lure him into. Any sort of confrontation in a restaurant like this would taint Richard Grayson's name, as well as Wayne Enterprise, for years and the low lighting combined with the subtle noises provided an environment difficult to think in.

"Mr. Grayson," A red-headed obstructed Robin's view and offered him a large menu," can I get you any wine today?"

"Not tonight." Robin said, noting the appearance of her uniform encase the need for a quick change of attire arose, "some water would be great though."

She responded with a polite nod and walked away. Robin redirected his attention to his watch, moving the dial to sync it with his home computer and commanding a search for Francis. A red light appeared on his watch screen showing that Francis was, indeed, here but on the lower level of the restaurant._ Damn_.

Robin quickly flagged down a passing waiter, "Is there any way I can possibly get a table on the lower floor?"

"Sorry, sir. But our entire lower floor has been bought out by a foreign royal tonight."

Robin couldn't help the clenching of his fist. Why would Francis lead him all the way here only to stop him from getting anywhere? He was starting to think Francis was toying with him, a move he'd only seen Slade dare to do.

"Which country are they from?"

The young waiter seemed shocked at his question. As if he hadn't been expecting Robin to question him and rubbed his forearm nervously, "You know what. I haven't a clue."

Robin nodded, "Thank you, anyway."

He waited a minute and checked the surrounding area before rising from his seat.

He made his way through the sea of tables, nearly bumping into a passing waitress, and made his way into an unfamiliar hall. He cursed himself for not paying attention earlier and looked for some indication as to where he was. the stairs and listened for any sounds in the hallway. His eyes moved in silent, practiced patterns to best examine the contents of the hall. Along its dim, carpeted length were two open doors which led into the kitchens. At the hall's end was a closed door. He walked down the hall, smiling at those who passed him, till he reached a staircase and quickly travelled down.

When he arrived at the closed door he listened at it for a long time cataloguing the sounds of movement within: there was a slow singing in the background and the light tap of shoes on the floor.

His hand curled around the knob and slowly turned it as he applied his weight. The door eased open to reveal a room similar to the one above. It may have been nerves, but Robin _swore_ the entire room was slightly darker and much quieter. The same slow singing could still be heard in the background but it sounded drowned and distant.

Something was _very_ wrong.

Robin reached for in his suit pocket for his contractible bo-staff, placing the soft metal into his closed palm, and pushed open the doors. He stopped. An emotion akin to fear settling in his chest.  
The entire floor seemed to have been _frozen_.

Politicians and business men sat with wine glasses tilted and lips parted, and women were in the midst of laughter and waiters stood motionless.

Dark memories of travelling through an unmoving world with Raven resurfaced, before swiftly being pushed back to the corners of his mind. Robin swallowed thickly, praying this wasn't a repeat of last time, "Hello?"

If possible the entire room grew even _more_ silent.

Robin ran another scan over a nearby female to confirm his suspicions. The people seemed to be cryogenically frozen. After laying a hand on the forehead of the model he dismissed that idea entirely: she was too warm to have been frozen. No other person in the room was breathing, yet the communicator still recognized them all as living.

It was like they'd been put on _paused._

Robin pocketed the communicator and sighed.

Exactly who was he dealing with here? The only people Robin knew with the power to do something like this were Control Freak and Mumbo. But it couldn't possibly be them. They were still locked up tight in the Jump City prison.

If Francis wasn't working with either of those two, then where could he possibly gain this kind of power from? Was there something he was overlooking? And if Francis was so adamant to meet him why did he keep stalling?

A warm chuckle floated on a sudden breeze and entered Robin's ear. Then a voice, female Robin concluded, followed, "_Do you always ask such obvious questions_?"

The response snapped him out of his thoughts and his scanner alerted him  
of the sudden presence of another moving person, before going blank_."You won't need that in here, Robin."_

After attempting to send a distress signal to his team, Robin concluded _whatever_ was in the room with him was blocking all transitions. Pressing a button to extend his bo-staff, he readied himself for a possible attack.

He was met instead by the slow footsteps of a tall man in a plain black suit. His brown eyes were set in a cloudy gaze directly at Robin and blond curls were matted to a pale forehead as sweat trickled down his face. He moved in silence and a sinister smile spread across his face as he stopped in front of the leader of the Teen Titians.

What he did next shocked even Batman's former assistant. Francis opened his mouth, displaying perfectly white teeth, and screamed.

And then Earl Francis began to melt.

_"Don't you see, Robin? He was never in charge." _


	2. Zero Hour

**Okay. I've been gone for too long...I'm so sorry I didn't mean to disappear.**

**I claim 'Unexpected circumstance'...hehe (Too early to joke? Okay.)**

**ON WITH THE SHOW!**

* * *

"I don't get it," Beastboy said, as if it meant anything. Which it didn't.

Raven marvelled at how the usually easily disturbed Titan could muster up such a calm voice when flaming truck-sized boulders were being aimed at him. It was possible, given that this was Beastboy, that he did not understand the severity of the situation. But on the other hand, he did seem to have a point. Nothing, at the present moment, seemed to be making any sense.

The Titans, minus a masked hero, were in downtown Jump trying to apprehend a creature made entirely up of white fire.

Raven found the whole thing really strange. The monster reminded her of the elemental creature Slade had managed to trick Thunder and Lightning into help him create a long time ago, and at first glance she had thought it had been. But upon further inspection she'd realised this creature was different. Raven couldn't explain it.

Slade's beast had seemed mindless, destroying everything in its path, but this one seemed more focused. Focused on what? Raven did not know.

"Beastboy," Raven warned whilst throwing up a shield to block a blast of white fire from hitting the green teen, "that sentence better be helpful."

Beastboy ran into elephant form and released a spray of water from a nearby hydrant and proceeded to pelt the monster causing its flames die out. His victory was short lived as the monster regenerated its flames and shot him into a wall leaving him to slip out of a elephant shaper crater.

"Ah, man." He stretched an arm to rub at a sore spot on his back, leaving himself open to an oncoming fire blast. Only to find himself encased in black energy and levitating above the burning ground below. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he exhaled, "Thanks Raven."

The sorceress levitated him to a patch of trees further away from the fight, and landed in front of him whilst Starfire and Cyborg continued to fend off the monster, "Beastboy, you've got to be more careful."

"What is going on?" Beastboy asked as he took a few steps towards him. Raven glared, she didn't have the time or the patience to explain something she only had minimal understanding of to Beastboy. She glanced behind him and saw Starfire and Cyborg dodging oncoming fireballs then looking at each other cautiously, waiting for something to explode.

She turned to move but Beastboy reached out and grasped her hand. "Raven…if anyone knows anything about magic, it's you. Even I can tell this isn't some normal monster. So what is it? " He sighed when she didn't respond. "Look, I know nothing about magic. But last time all it took to stop the fire creature was a bit of rain, but that's obviously not enough this time. So what will stop it?"

Raven sighed as she let her feet touch the ground. How could she explain the complications of magic to Beastboy? And even if she managed that, was there anything any of them could do stop the beast if her suspicions turned out to be true? The thought that something that powerful could exist in this dimension was too terrifying to even consider. Besides, there was no way she'd be able to confirm what she thought was true at all if she couldn't even get close to the creature.

"Raven..."

"This monster didn't just appear. Someone summoned it."

"Who would do that?"

"No one. Someone._ I'm not sure._ Anyone with enough magix could have done it."

"Okay," Beastboy nodded glad to be finally getting somewhere with the dark girl, "so what kind of magic are we dealing with here?"

"Different magic, more powerful than anything we've faced before...", her words trailed as she thought about what "different magic" could imply. There were only a handful people who could be capable of this sort of summoning something like this. Even mages as powerful as Malichor didn't possess the power needed to summon that. The only one person that sprang to mind was him."Magic much more powerful than mine."

"Is there anything you can do?"

"If I could get closer to it then maybe I could read the magical signature. Then I would know for sure what we're dealing with." It was a long shot. There was a chance that even if she did get close to the monster the signature could be encrypted. But she had to be sure that he wasn't back.

"You've got it." Raven didn't know whether to be flattered that Beastboy would risk his own safety to allow her to try something she wasn't even sure would work or amazed at how stupid he was. Both feelings seemed to find harmony as Beastboy flew off in hawk form to the nearby fighting and changed back.

"Hey!," Beastboy said, attracting the attention of the beast," Come and get me!"

The creature roared it agreement and raced after Beastboy in cheetah form as he ran down a nearby street.

Raven teleported next to Cyborg and Starfire.

"Raven, what is friend Beastboy doing?"

"Is he trying to get burnt to a crisp?"

Raven turned her head in the direction Beastboy had ran and fought back a smirk. Maybe the little changeling did have some functioning brain cells after all. "Actually, I think I know where he's going."

* * *

"Are you frightened, little bird?"

Robin watched in amazement as the puddle that was once Earl Francis congealed into a ball and disappearer to the opposite end of the dining hall. Quickly recollecting himself he followed the path of the ball, ignoring the frozen stares and reached a blank wall.

He needed a new plan. Now. Control was quickly slipping as the entire mission completely evolved from a simple robbery to something much more sinister.

Exactly what? He wasn't sure.

"You needn't be afraid, Robin."

Robin spun around on his heel, only to be met with the same empty tables. He rose his staff to strike a nearby chair hoping to get some kind of reaction out of whoever was taunting him. His attack, however, never landed. Puzzled, he gazed down only to see a small pale hand grasping his staff.

"You have no reason to be afraid, Robin.". The small hand moved back into the shadows, leaving behind inhumane imprints of nails on the titanium,"But if you give me reason, I will not hesitate to kill you."

If it wasn't for the silence, Robin may have missed the soft pitter-patter of shoes on the ground.

Out of the shadows came the silhouette of a woman.

Under the dim lighting of the room, Robin could make out long black hair framing a delicate looking face. She wore a simple blue jewel engraved into the thin silver band around her forehead. Her attire decidingly stood out against the finery of the Bouchard. Plain brown boots and a long golden embroidered coat that split at the front revealing tight brown trousers, made her seem worlds away from the models and politicians around them.

The clothing themselves did not strike him as extraordinary but they seemed fit to a purpose: she want to be silent. Even though the power he could feel coming from the woman told him she didn't have to be unseen to be dangerous.

Robin couldn't stop the shiver as she stood before him.

"I have been waiting to meet you in this world."

She walked past Robin, and her body language told him she expected him to follow him.

Robin threw a smoke bomb towards her back and watched in startled amazement as the explosion stopped in midair and was tossed at a nearby wall.

The woman walked, undisturbed, towards a nearby table, and sat down. Even from the distance, he noticed her face darken and the slight movement of her jaw."Come here." Robin opened his mouth to ask exactly what she was planning, but before the words escaped his mouth he found himself seated opposite woman.

He was stopped, before he could protest, by a hand,"You have become more difient in this world, birdie. I must say it is not becoming of you." Her accent, Robin concluded now that her voice was much clearer, was thick and ancient.

Robin moved to stand only to find himself grounded in his seat. The mysterious woman watched in silent amusement as Robin continued to struggle against the invisible hold.

Failing that, Robin turned his masked gaze to the smirk before him,"Who are you?"

A cold chuckle filled the room,"Now is not the proper time for introductions."

"It seems you already know me." Masked eyes narrowed."How?"

She smirked."You could say we have an interesting history that at the present moment you are to remain unaware of." The look on her face dared him to ask her for more information, he decided on a different approach.

"Where are the chips?"

The chuckle turned into a brief laugh. "Their right here." A idle wave of a hand over the table caused the three missing chips to appear. "Do not worry, they are your's to take."A smile spread across her face,"After you...help me with a minor problem."

Robin frowned,"I don't help criminals."

"Oh Robin." His name sounded drawn out, as if she had no taste for it,"I am no criminal."

Robin raised a brow and his hand quickly followed,"Then what do you call all of this?"

"Unexpected circumstances." Robin's frown turned into a full blown scowl. Dealing with someone who sees freezing people as "unexpected circumstance" was going to be tricky. When he did not question her, she continued,"You see, I am simply trying to recover what belongs to me."

"I'm sure whatever your after doesn't belong with you."

Her mood visibly darkened,"Does anything really belong to anyone?"

She moved a hand, making a cutting movement in the air. Something happened that Robin couldn't explain if he tried.

The air around him crackled and suddenly his throat dried 's hand immediately clenched on his windpipe, the air was being pulled out of his lungs, and dizziness was setting in."Does the oxygen you breath belong to you Robin?" Her movements in the air settled to a halt and the oxygen made its way back. Breathing in heavily, all he could do was lift his head to look into emotionless green eyes.

"Trust me when I say this does belong to me." Still catching his breath all the masked hero could do was stare."Whether it suits you or not, you are now a part of a much bigger goal. You will help me get what I want. It is the way history has unfolded once and how it will once more. I promise you."

"Why are you doing this? What are you planning?" Robin's mouth slanted in a frown and he tilted his chin defiantly although his words sounded painfully weak to his own ears. This being hadn't even landed a blow and already he felt down-and-out.

She laughed and pushed a little closer, allowing Robin to see the blackness of her iris. "You think I would tell you everything so early on in the game, Robin? Do you think I'm simply another one of those mediocre villians you and your team take such pride in defeating? You are in over your head, Robin, I hope you don't make this too easy."

Robin frowned."What do you want from me?" His breathing began to return to normal pace, but his voice was still unconvincing.

She smiled."I have gotten almost everything I needed from you worlds ago." She wrapped thin fingers around her wine glass as the simple outfit she had on, gave way to a much grander golden gown and stylish up do. " All I want now is for you to enjoy your wine." She clapped her hands twice, and the room became animated again. Smile plastered on her face, she dropped her voice to a whisper,"Don't underestimate me, little bird. I will kill every single one of these people if you try to escape."

Robin swallowed. What was he dealing with? Obviously this person wasn't human, the control she had over him wasn't any technology, no, it was definitely supernatural. And what had she meant 'worlds ago'? He was certain he had never met her in his life. So why did she speak as if they knew each other?

Robin's masked gaze wandered around the room taking in the bustling people around. The situation was swirling too out of control for the naturally focused Titan, he needed to act. But all the people in the room could be endangered if he made one wrong move.

For the first time in a while, Robin had no idea what to do.

He wrapped his hands around his own wine glass, and lifted it to his lips. Not daring to let a drop of the red liquid slip into his mouth, he looked across at the woman in front of him and waited for hell to break loose.


End file.
